Typical documents created using current technology are passive. Documents are files that do not typically have executable code. The lowest representation level of data is the binary representation in a computer's memory, which data requires an interpreter to retrieve the semantics of that data. In a higher level context, a document adheres to a specification of its format to allow exchange and compatibility. Some application software is required to interpret, view, print, and interact with that document, reflecting the essentially passive nature of current document technology.
Associating code and an execution environment with a document would transform it from a passive state to an active entity. The term “active document” is widely used in various different contexts. For the purposes of this discussion, an “active document” is defined as representing a lightweight executable software code that acts as a container for static or dynamically generated document resources. The active document provides a workplace to store additional data. In addition, it has a well-defined interface to interact with other live active documents, networks, persons, or other entities.
An active document has an associated set of behaviors that have been referred to as activities. Activities are arbitrary actions performed as a result of a user opening, scrolling, editing, or closing a document. Although a document's activities are actually triggered by the document editor, they are associated with the document and preserved when the document is filed, copied, or even electronically mailed. Users have conventionally marked arbitrary items in a document as active or associate queries. However, a specific application, typically a special document-editor application, is still required to load and then execute the active document. If this document editor application is terminated, the document is no longer active.
The Internet currently comprises mostly documents that are either static or dynamically generated. Transforming these passive resources into active participants would change the way the Internet behaves in various ways. First, live active documents are smart about their content. They can update document format, synchronize with newer versions, add related content, etc. Second, active documents can interact with other documents and users, exchange information, notify persons about their existence, and even trigger actions in a user's personal information manager (e.g. active calendar). Thus, there is a need for active documents that can be edited or otherwise manipulated by a variety of applications and can be treated as a process instead of a file. The need for such a system has heretofore remained unsatisfied.